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Monday, 3 November 2014

5 Things I’ve Learned from Writing my Debut Novel

with Cassandra Samuels

1. Writing a book is hard.

Anyone who says it isn’t hasn’t tried to write one. It takes a lot of mental effort and a lot of time. If you are serious it could mean deciding to write rather than watch TV like me or some other activity.

2. Research is a must.

Whether it is about the profession of your hero or heroine or a specific time period, you need to know what you are writing about. That doesn’t mean putting in great slabs of info; it means weaving it in, and only when necessary to the story. I write historical romance so that includes quite a bit of research in my chosen era – the Regency period.

3. No writer is an island.

I know in movies and on TV writers are portrayed as sad, solitary figures but really the writing community is alive and chock-full of wonderful people. It is important to interact with other writers and readers. Listen to them. Learn from them. The friends I have made through Romance Writers Australia have been priceless to my writing and my personal life.

4. The work doesn’t end with writing the book.

Once you have written your book you need to let it rest, or give it to those amazing reader/writer friends to get some fresh eyes on it. Then you can go through the whole thing and edit it. Cutting out bits here and building up parts there. Only when it is as perfect as you can get it can you start to submit it to publishers.

5. Publication is not the end result, it’s just the start

Once your book is accepted for publication there is a whole other side to this writing gig to learn – the business side. Working with editors, writing a blurb, and yes, getting on with the next book. There is no time to rest on your laurels; you need to get busy writing that next book. On top of that you must use the power of social media to let people know you even have a book for sale and that you are working on the next one. This can be unpleasant for some of us not used to spruiking our goods but it really is a necessary part of being a writer in this technological age.

These are just some of the things I’ve learned writing my debut book, A Scandalous Wager. Other writers may have a different experience but this is what I have learned.

What is the most interesting thing you learned from reading a book?

Love to learn – How to handle writer problems by brainstorming. A problem shared is a problem solved.

Love to laugh – at this wonderful poster by Grant Snider on The Writers’ Retreat.

Love to love – how supportive all my friends and family have been throughout the many years it has taken me to reach publication. No thanks will ever be enough.

28 comments:

Hi Cassandra. Congratulations. Your success shows belief in yourself, your venture and hard work at it, brings rewards.Reading has opened my eyes to ther people's problems. I know I am not alone in tackling issues life throws at me. And the happy endings show me hope exists. So I have hope too.

What a great way of looking at it Enisa. I know that many people find the escape of a book to be very helpful in times of stress. An hour or so away from their worries. As you say it can create empathy for others too.

Enisa, that's so true! I sometimes struggle to live up to the heroic ideal of dealing with emotional situations (ok actually I struggle heaps) but I still try and I have all the amazing authors of such emotionally balanced characters to thank.

Hi Cassandra. Firstly, congratulations on the imminent release of your debut novel, 'A Scandalous Wager'. I've pre-ordered it and can't wait to read it.For a yet-to-be published author like me, your post made for very interesting reading. I identify with 1, 2 and 3, and look forward to finding out about 4 and 5 for myself. :)

Thank you Marilyn. I hope you enjoy reading it. It's very exciting. I am so glad that some of my experiences you were able to identify with. I am sure you will be experiencing the other points very soon. :-)

It's early yet and I've not had my coffe so specifics are fuzzy for me but...I'd have to say in answer to your question that in nearly all the books I read I learn something about myself or the world we live in. I remember one romance even taught me a bit about cardiac rhythms that I'd been struggling with at uni! (But for the life of me I can't remember the title!)

Writing a book seems such a solitary thing doesn't it Georgia (and it is) but it is so hard without support. The encouragement of fellow writers who understand why you might be agonizing over a plot point or re-writing a chapter 20 times cannot be underestimated.

Thank you Eleni. I hope you find it delightful too. I am constantly learning as well. There is a quote that goes something like: Writing is like getting homework for the rest of your life. It's a constant learning curve, isn't it?

I am so happy to hear your debut novel is about to hit the shelves, Cassandra...only four more sleeps! Can't wait to read it. Loved your "5 Things" list - makes perfect sense to me. Reading fuelled my love of history and also the exhilaration I feel whenever I read a brilliant phrase or description makes reading my extreme sport :-)... Good luck with A Scandalous Wager.

Hi Joanna. Thanks for dropping by. I am so glad that you feel the same about my 5 things. Exactly the same for me regarding a love of history through reading. I never knew about the Regency period until I read P&P as a teen. I was fascinated and it led me to read more about the time period and read more books that were set in and around that time. I hope your book Beyond Innocence is doing well. I love that it is set in both London and Colonial Australia.

I've already pre-ordered your book, Cassandra, and can't wait to read it. Well done! And I love your comment that no writer is an island. So true. The romance writing community is supportive and just fabulous. What has been your best moment in getting the book published?

Hi Malvina. Thank you for pre-ordering my book. I can honestly say I have never been part of an community like that of the Romance Writers of Australia. The things I have learned from going to conferences and workshops is just part of it. The friends I have made and the support I get from those writer friends is priceless. Without RWAust I would never have found this amazing writers group either.

Best moment? I think getting the email to say my book has been accepted for publication. I read it over and over again to make sure it was real. lol. Nothing quite like the very first sale.